Fastener setting adapter



Aug. 14, 1951 P, E FENTQN 2,564,524

FASTENER SETTING ADAPTER Filed Nov. 24, 1948 l Ww q2. 27

INVENTOA Pa ul E13-nien Patented Aug. 14, 1951 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2564.524 FASTENER STTI'NGADAPTER Paul Fenton, Middlebury, Corin., assigner `t0 Scovill Manufacturing Company, Waterbury, Conn., a corporation of Connecticut Application November 24, 1948,l Serial N o. 61,831

My invention 4relatesto a device-'for attaching snap fasteners to articles of clothing, furniture covers, and the like, especiallyintendedf'or use in homes.

When snap fasteners came to be made which were sufficiently light, durable,A and cheap` that they were used widely on articles of clothing,- furniture covers and numerous other things, it became desirable to make them available for attachment in the home. This presented a problem because it was out of the question to have in a home, machines or tools of the type customarily used in factories for attaching snap fastener parts. It was also not feasible to use common tools such as pliers, hammer and screwdriver because there wastoo much'lkelihod of damaging the small fastener parts or at. best the result would be a poorly Isetv and appearing job.

I am aware that attempts have been-made to provide as cheaply as possible a small `kit of special tools that would perform Vsomewhat the same functions as the factory machines inattaching rthe fastener parts, and due tothe great need in this eld they have enjoyed some distribution in spite cf important objections. The cost of such a kit of special tools is a considerable item. They are useful for nothing else but attaching snap fasteners and vthus likely to become lost.

My copending application Ser. No.. 693,765, filed August 29, 1946, since abandoned, discloses a method for home attachment of snap fastener parts requiring nothing more than a pencil with a rubberA eraser on its end, a common sewing thread spool and any kind of a hammer. While this method has been widely welcomed by the public, it is only a partial solution. It will not sufiic'e for attaching the smallest si'zfasteners now being used because the fasteners are almost as small, if not smaller than theh'ole in the spool. Elven with the intermediate and larger sizes a degree of care had to be exercised in centering the spool on the fastener part and holding it squarely to distribute the blow evenly around the fastener part. v

The object of my present invention is therefore to improve and extend'the' eld of usefulness of the method referred to above. This application is a continuationl in part of my copending application Ser. No. 693,766, filled August 29, 1946, since abandoned.

More particularly my objects are to provide an adapter or device for use with the thread spool which will better insure centering and even 1 claim. (c1. 218-20) application of the Iblow to the snap fastener parti to provide la device permitting the spool to be used for the smaller ysizes of snapfaSten'erS; to provide a device that will protect the spool end from damage-due to repeatediise'in atta'cliing,fas-s tener parts; and to provide such a device which will be so small and so cheap to manufacture that it can be includedin each package'or card of snap fasteners as sold in the store without eXtra charge to the purchaser.

In the accompanying drawings I have shown two` embodiments which my invention may assume in practice.

In `these drawings:

`Fig. `1 is a pictorial sketch illustrating the manner `of using the device 'of my invention.`

Fig'. 2 lis a central cross-sectional view-of my devicer fitted 'to av spoolandin contact With-.the socket part ofa snap fastener ready vto perform its function.

Fig- 3 is 'a view4 like Fig. `2` except illustrating hownly device is used on a fastener ofeinter'- mediate size. l

Fig-.4 is also a viewlike Fig. 2 except illustrating'howmy device is'used` on a veryY small sized fastener part.

Fig. 5 is a similar section .showing thev use of my device with the'stud `part of a snap fastener, but with the fastener completely: 'set upon` a support.

Fig. 6 isa viewsimilar to Fig. 2 showing one modication of my device, and

Fig. '7 is a rperspective view lshowing the preferred form of ymy device, per se.

In illustrating the use of v my invention sectionalviews of the socket partin Figs. 2,-" 3 4, and 6 and of Ithe stud part linFig.' 5,v indicate one well known and common form of snap fastener.` The socket part has a rigid vcurled overbreast portionA 8 surrounding the spring fingers 9 con--` stituting the-'yielding socket'for receivingV a stud. This member is held in placeby a pronged `ring Ii)V whose prongs Il'fproject through a piece of fabric I2 or'the like, in alignment with the entrance: tothe space I3 inside the breast portion ofsuiiicient diameter tooverliea fastener part of the largest size it is desired to attach. A depending fiange I'I extends around the periphery of the base to engage over the snap fastener to help center the device on the fastener part and to prevent its slipping sidewise out of contact with any part of the breast portion. Around the shank I5 the vibase I4 presents a flat top surface I8 to'accommodate the end surface I9 of a common thread spool 20. The terms spool and common thread spool as used herein mean the small wooden spool on which sewing thread is wound and sold to the public through retail stores. Such spools while made in different sizes to accommodate different kinds and sizes of thread always have an axial hole, herein designated 2| of a standard size, the purpose being so that any of them will t the standard sizespindle on a sewing machine. The holes in such spools are approximately three tenths of an inch"indi' ameter. Accordingly, by making the outside diameter of the shank of my device three tenths of an inch plus or minus about two thousandths of an inch it Vhas been found that the shank the smallest size snap fasteners now on the market as well as the larger sizes. While the upper end f the shank I5 is of the required diameter to t the hole in the spool, the sheet'metal walls of the shank are necked inwardly as at 22 so that the bottom surface I6 of the base extends radially inwardly suiciently to have a good bearing on the breast portion of the small fastener shown in Fig. 4, and at the same time allowing a large enough hole through the base to receive the stud of the larger stud part as shown in Fig. 5. Of course, since the bottom surface I6, is fiat it will accommodate any intermediate size as seen in Fig. 3.

The stud part in Fig. is like the socket part as concerns the breast portion and prong ring and bears like reference characters. Instead of the spring fingers there is stud 23 which may be of the rigid or resilient type and which of necessity projects a considerable distance, above the plane of the breast portion 8. When my device is used for attaching the stud part the stud projects through the central hole in the base I4 and into the recess 24 provided in the hollow shank. Preferably also this shank has an open top for lightness and cheapness, and for the further reason that any foreign particles or dirt which might get lodged in the recess can be easily removed.

In accordance with the showing in Fig. 6 of a modified construction of adaptor, the walls 25 of the shank may be straight if it is not desired to use the device for the smaller fasteners. Also the ends of the walls 25 may be formed inwardly to provide for a strengthening ange 26 and a rounding leading end 21, the latt-er end serving to facilitate the assembly of the adaptor with the spool hole 2 I.

'Ihe use of my device will now be readily understood. After the pronged ring has been located on the fabric and the prongs pierced through in any suitable manner such as by the eraser end of a pencil my small device is inserted into the end of a spool. The stud or socket part as the case may be is laid over the ends of the prongs with the prongs in the entrance to the breast .29.' This forces the breast portion down over v the prongs, tightly against the fabric while the prongs curl up inside the breast portion to clinch the parts together. 'Ihey are shown in the final position after the operation is completed in Fig. 5. The use of the spool is in a sense, a guard against a too severe blow being applied to the fastener parts to damage them. By reason of the size, weight, and material it is not likely to be struck as hard as one might strike a block or cylinder of metal. Furthermore theresiliency of the wood of which the spool is made will tend to cushion a too heavy blow, thus preventing damage to the fastener parts under any normal orv expected circumstances.' The metal adaptor while made oflthin sheetinetal will-protect the wood from deformation so that the same spool can lbe yused repeatedly.

From the foregoing description it will be evident that the objects stated have been accomplished. By reason of cheapness, convenience, simplicity, wide range of utility of and the good results obtainable with my device, the public may enjoy to a much greater extent the advantages of modern types of snap fasteners in their home manufactured garments, furniture covers, or other articles, with a minimum of labor and expense.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

A fasten-er setting adaptor for use in conjunction with a common thread spool in attaching snap fastener parts, comprising a one-piece rigid member having a flat disc-like base portion with a central hole to receive the stud of the stud part of a snap fastener, said base portion having a peripheral depending iiange to assist in positioning the adapter on a fastener part, and an integral hollow stem projecting upwardly from the edges of said hole at right angles to the base portion, said stem being dimensioned to fit snugly in the hole in such a thread spool with the end of the spool resting on the top surface of the base portion, whereupon a blow struck on the opposite end of the spool may be transmitted through said base portion without damaging the central parts of the fastener.

PAUL E. FENTON.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent: 

